Mental Floss

THE LIST SHOW













RIP, Chinese paddlefish.

When you think of extinct animals, you might go to a saber-toothed cat, or the infamous dodo. But there are, unfortunately, a lot more recent animals that have gone the way of that ill-fated bird.

Erin McCarthy




Olestra was not a success.

It doesn’t take a consumer expert to know that any product that might cause anal leakage is facing an uphill battle to success.

Jake Rossen


He clearly has egg on his face.

The English language is bursting with colorful expressions that come from strange and surprising places—and many of them once had literal meanings that the general public has long since forgotten. 

Ellen Gutoskey